It’s Friday, and it’s like 60 degrees outside, so I’m going to keep this one short. Read: I’m headed down to the Minuteman Trail to watch all the people who shouldn’t be jogging (I should take videos and make that into an EPIC blog post), and time permitting, hang out in Harvard Square and read Twilight with my shirt off. Anyways, I often get asked what my training looks like, so I figured I’d post yesterday’s training session.
500×2: worked up to one heavy set of two. As of the past two weeks, I’ve been deadlifting three times per week; smart I know.
B1. Giant Cambered Bar Goodmornings: 4×6
295×6
315×6
325×5
325×6
B2: Half Kneeling Cable Lift w/Core Bar: 3×8/side (which is officially my new favorite “core” exercise. The video below is from Mike Robertson’s video library on Youtube.)
C1: DB Reverse Lunge: 2×8
I was about to start my third set when the gang decided to do some sled pushing. Eric Cressey posted this video in his blog yesterday, but I figured I share the awesomeness here as well. The basic premise (as noted from Eric’s blog):
1. Sled (on the floor, not turf) with four plates on it.
2. Four guys (in this case, Eric, Pete, myself, and one of our high school seniors).
3. 16 trips of 16 yards as fast as possible.
4. Ideally, each guy does four full trips, but when one guy can’t get it done, somebody has to step up and finish his trip.
For those don’t know which one was me, you can pause the video at 5:18 (WELCOMETOTHEGUNSHOW). Incidentally, I was also the one who went on to finish his workout afterwards while the rest where contemplating spewing junks. I totally don’t suck at life.
Someone linked to this article a few weeks ago in the comments section, and I’m just now recovering from the massive brain hemorrhage I suffered from reading it. To summarize, CNN felt it news worthy to run a story about some 27 year old dude named Jason (who sadly, is originally from my neck of woods: Syracuse, NY) and how he’s on a quest for a “six pack” by eating a diet that includes 16 egg whites per day.
First off, 16 egg whites in one day is no big deal. I’ve often eaten upwards of two dozen eggs in one day, and CNN isn’t covering that shit. WTF CNN!?!?!?! And while I could go on and on about how retarded this guy is, I’m not going to. I’m just going to chalk this one up to the fact that he strapped on the stupid long ago. Besides, I’ll let the picture speak for itself:
He’s all skin and bone. Is there even any muscle there to warrant having a six pack???? That’s not a six pack, that’s your freakin liver dude.
Anyways, my beef with the article wasn’t so much with Jason, but with some comments made by a registered dietitian with the American Dietetic Association, who was asked to analyze Jason’s diet (below):
Dinant’s six-pack diet
Meal 1: 8 egg whites, 2 servings of cream of rice
Meal 2: 5 ounces lean meat or fish, 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup veggies
Meal 3: 5 ounces lean meat, 1 cup rice, 1 cup veggies
Meal 4: 5 ounces lean meat or fish, 6-ounce potato or sweet potato, 1 cup veggies
The dietitian suggested to add more fat into the diet, which is actually great advice. People often forget that dietary fat supplies energy and essential fatty acids and serves as a carrier for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and carotenoids. Additionally, fats serve as building blocks of membranes and play a key regulatory role in numerous biological functions; such as testosterone production (which helps you gain muscle mass) and partitioning (which helps you lose fat).
As well, another little known fact about dietary fat is that eating it with your veggies helps you get more nutrition out of them than eating them without. Clearly, fat plays an important role in our diet. Albeit it’s unfortunate that it’s usually the one ESSENTIAL macronutrient that gets the ax when looking to lose weight.
He then goes on to drop this knowledge bomb:
“Eating protein has great benefit for rebuilding muscle and speeding up the metabolism,” White said. “But too much can cause weight gain, increase the urinary loss of calcium, and cause dehydration.”
Lets break this down.
1. Too much (protein) can cause weight gain. Too much of anything can cause weight gain. It always comes down to total calories. Why is it that protein often gets the brunt of this asinine argument?
2. Too much protein can cause urinary loss of calcium. As Lyle McDonald notes in his aptly titled The Protein Book:
It’s too simplistic to look at protein intake in isolation in terms of its effects on bone health, as the protein content of food interacts with other nutrients in that food or in the total diet. For example, recent studies suggest an interaction between protein and calcium intake.
When calcium intake is low, high protein intakes appear to have negative effects on bone health. In contrast, when calcium and vitamin D intake are sufficient, protein intake has a beneficial effect on bone health. This suggest that ensuring adequate calcium intake (through a sufficient intake of dairy foods, or calcium supplements) is crucial for bone health when large amounts of protein are being consumed.
This most likely serves to explain the above contradiction. In the studies where dietary protein intake was found to have a negative impact on bone health, there were OTHER dietary factors playing a role. Calcium or vitamin D intake may have been insufficient, causing an overall negative effect. However, when sufficient calcium and vitamin D are provided, dietary protein has a beneficial impact.
Likewise, lets not forget the importance of lifting heavy stuff. In terms of stimulating new bone formation, what’s needed is something called a minimal essential strain (MES), which refers to a threshold stimulus that initiates new bone formation. A force that reaches or exceeds this threshold and is repeated often enough will signal osteoblasts to migrate to that region of the bone and lay down matrix proteins (collagen) to increase the strength of the bone in that area. In short, as long as one is lifting appreciable weights, the whole “calcium leakage” argument is fairly mute.
3. Too much protein will cause dehydration. I don’t have a response to this other than hahahahaahahahaahahahahahaahahahaahahaahaha. I’ve never heard this one before, and would be really surprised if there’s any research to back it up. I mean, why not just start telling people that high protein diets cause rabies?!?!
To summarize:
– Jason, eat something. Please.
– The blanket statement that too much protein will cause weight gain is absurd. Too much of anything will cause weight gain.
– Too much protein will not cause your bones to leak calcium, so long as calcium and vitamin D intake are sufficient. As well, I think I remember reading somewhere that the amount of calcium “leaked” by the bones is so insignificant, that a tablespoon of milk would more than make up for it. Just goes to show how things tend to get blown out of proportion in the general media. Unless we’re talking about my chest, and how it’s often mistaken for a steel plate. That’s actually true.
– Lets be honest, CNN needs to cover more “newsworthy” stories. Like the fact that MEGAN FOX IS SINGLE AGAIN!!!!! I guess she finally realized that Brian Austin Green is in fact, Brian Austin Green. Good for her. Good for her
Oh, where to begin. I’m in a bit of a conundrum here. On one hand, I’m not going to lie. I’ve watched that video at least 37 times this morning (for obvious reasons), and I’m contemplating calling in to work today. On the other, those have got to be some of the worst looking push-ups I have ever seen. I think all ten of those “reps” amounted to one actual push-up. Then again I wasn’t really counting past cleavage.
I hate the term “girl push-ups,” and I hate any trainer who has their female clients do them. I think it’s completely asinine to separate push-ups into two categories of “girl push-ups” and “regular push-ups.” The last thing I want to do when starting with a new female client is to establish a mentality that because she’s a girl, she can’t do something. If anything that just strikes me as very condescending.
Nonetheless, I think a great starting point would be to perform elevated push-ups from either a bench or power rack with adjustable pins.
Here, we can limit the range of motion, albeit still reap all the benefits of the push-up (upper body strength, lumbo-pelvic coordination, core strength/stability, scapular stability, etc). Obviously as one becomes more proficient, you would just move the pins down towards the floor, and before you know it, they’re performing push-ups from the floor with chains across their back.
All in all, it just really frustrates me when I see or hear women give in to the mentality that they’re these delicate creatures who can’t lift like the boys. This is why I like sites such as stumptuous.com and figureathlete.com. Both sites have superb info in regards to how women should be training (hint: lift some freakin weights). Not to mention, as compared to the crap I come across in publications such as Oxygen Magazine, I’m much less inclined to want punch a hole through my computer screen.
EDIT: It’s come to my attention that Jennifer Love Hewitt really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really should consider hiring me as her trainer/boyfriend. Just throwing it out there. I mean Jesus, she once dated John Mayer for crying out loud. What does he have that I don’t have? You know, besides money, fame, and the ability to not drive a Hyundai Elantra? I have a six pack. That’s gotta count for something dammit!
Normally I try to avoid writing about controversial topics such as blood type diets, colon cleansing, intermittent fasting and such, because in all honesty, I think it’s a bunch of voodoo nonsense. Not to mention I know someone is going to get their panties up in a bunch and write some long rant in the comments section on how misinformed I am/I’m an idiot/how I owe them alimony/when am I going to call them back/their lawyers are going to be contacting me soon/blah blah blah. Nevertheless, I’m just not a big fan of stirring the pot.
It wasn’t too long ago where I scoffed at the notion of designing a diet based off of someone’s somatotype (body type). If they ate like crap, they’d be fat. If they cleaned it up, they’d be less fat. It’s a wonder I’m not a scientist. All the same, in light of some recent research, and upon listening to Dr. John Berardi speak on the topic, I’m starting to think that adjusting one’s diet based off their somatotype seems to have quite a bit of validity.
Generally speaking, one’s somatotype determines some key hormonal and sympathetic nervous system characteristics, and these characteristics can be directly linked to metabolic differences between people.
Ectomorphs: (small bone structure, “hard gainers,” think: Steve Erkel)
As Berardi notes, these people tend to be more thyroid and sympathetic nervous system dominant, with higher outputs or higher sensitivity to the catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine). This “profile” is linked to a faster metabolism and a higher carbohydrate tolerance. As such, these individuals do best on a higher carbohydrate diet with moderate protein and a low(er) fat intake. A good starting point would be 55% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 20% fat.
Mesomorphs: (medium sized bone structure, athletic body holding significant amount of lean mass, think: actor Ryan Reynolds, AKA guy who’s married to Scarlett Johannson and just so happens to make my list of people I hate because I’m not him).
Side Note: Okay ladies, I included that picture just for you. In light of the fact that I have an affinity for posting pictures of hot chicks being hot, I thought I’d mix it up a bit and give you some photo shopped eye candy to mull over. I didn’t like doing it, but I always put my readers first. God dammit he’s an attractive man.
These individuals tend to be testosterone and growth hormone dominate. As a result, these are the people who have a propensity to add on muscle without even blinking an eye, and are able to maintain a low body fat percentage year round. Interestingly enough, mesomorphs tend to do best by following more of a Zone style diet where there’s an even balance between carbs, proteins, and fats. This would consist of about 40% carbs, 30% proteins, and 30% fats.
Endomorphs: (larger bone structure, higher amounts of total body fat, think: your typical lazy, fat bastard of a husband that never puts the toilet seat down, and didn’t so much as acknowledge Valentine’s Day last weekend).
Berardi explained how these individuals tend to be more insulin dominant. As such, they have a greater propensity to store energy in both lean and fat compartments of the body; as well as exhibit lower carbohydrate tolerance. Accordingly, endomorphs typically do best with a higher fat and protein intake, with carbohydrates playing less of a role in overall energy intake. A general starting point for this type of person would be 25% carbohydrates, 35% protein, 40% fat.
I should note that rarely does anyone ever fall into one somatotype category. Meaning, no one is ever purely an ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph, etc. Rather, most people tend to be a mix and match of two somatotypes combined. Unless of course, your name is Pieter von Unibrow, Bilbo Baggins, The Guy Who Married Christina Aguilera, then I don’t know what the hell you are.
Anyways, the point I’m trying to make is that nothing is set in stone. While the above numbers are definitely great starting points, it only makes sense that it “may” take some experimentation as far as what will work for you. Of course we could go even further and discuss endless topics such as nutrient timing, what foods should you eat, where can you get them, what the heck is a protein, etc. Luckily Dr. Berardi just released Precision Nutrition v.3 not too long ago.
Easily the most comprehensive nutritional resource out there. While most sequels to anything suck (yeah, I’m talkin to you Brett Ratner. Don’t think I forgot about that shit-storm of a movie you called X-Men United), Precision Nutrition v.3 is like The Return of the King. What a horrible analogy. Whatever, I’m going with it. All the same, the third edition comes with some revamped material, a new section specifically for vegetarians, as well as a plethora of added bonus. Check it out here.
1. The seminar this past weekend was a blast. It was great to see friends I haven’t seen in a while, as well as listen to some awesome presentations. On an aside, it was nice to finally attend a seminar without the token “guy with jeans and UnderArmour shirt” on. Likewise, I didn’t see anyone walking around with a fanny pack while carrying a gallon of water. High five to all that attended for not making my eyes bleed!
In all seriousness, I learned a ton this past weekend, and I can’t wait for my clients/athletes to hate me for all the new stuff I’m going to try on them.
2. One of the best quotes from this past weekend came from Mike Boyle, who when discussing the topic of early specialization among adolescents, simply stated: “all your kid needs is a friend and a bike.” Oh snap!
Mike Boyle: 1
Overzealous Parent Who Thinks Their Kid is the Next Wayne Gretzky/Michael Jordan/Mia Hamm/Tiger Woods/Derek Jeter/or Thinks Their Kid is Even Remotely Athletic: 0
Nine to eleven year old kids don’t need to be working with a personal trainer or strength coach on a regular basis. Nor do they need to be specializing in a sport at such a young age. The best thing for them is to play multiple sports and learn that stuff like getting blasted in the head during dodge-ball or hitting their first Little League home-run is what will make them a better athlete.
3. Highlight of the weekend goes to Kevin Larrabee with not one, but TWO epic fails on a 300 bench. Side note: this is what he gets for a) not paying me my $5 for the bet we made and b) continuing to play my now infamous first appearance on The Fitcast (which admittedly is gayer than a park bench near Boy George’s house).
Attempt #1:
Coaching Comments:
1. Whoever that guy is handing off is one sexy mofo.
2. Good choice on picking Cypress Hill to play in the background.
3. Drinking two Spikes before a max effort lift won’t miraculously add 10% to your bench press. Just sayin.
4. Kevin took waaaaaaay too long to bring the bar down. I mean, I could have successfully watched Titanic twice* (Leo!!!!!!!) in the amount of time it took him to get the bar to his chest. By taking so long to lower the bar, he loses out on the Stretch Shortening Cycle (elastic energy of the muscles/tendons) to help him push through the “sticking point.”
5. Elbows flared out and hips came up out as soon as he “pressed” the bar back up, which tells me he just needs to emphasize some technique work with some heavy triples (as well as some lifts above 90%), and maybe incorporate some more speed work to groove that pattern. Or he could just stop missing lifts every other session. That might help……;o)
And Attempt #2:
Coaching Comments: (crickets chirping) PS, I love you Kevin.
4. For those that don’t know, that’s Mike Robertson sitting on the bench in the second video. Mike was gracious enough to come to CP early Sunday morning to do a short in-service training for the staff. Mike talked about how he goes about assessing knee issues with clients and used me as a guinea pig. Mike is the go to guy when it comes to anything related to the knees, and it was great to watch him in action. In short, I suck, and need to practice more of what I preach. Which is to say I really need to be more diligent with my soft-tissue work (ie: foam rolling), as well as incorporate more long duration static stretching throughout the day.
Other things I picked up on:
– I can’t be an a-hole and not do my foam rolling and stretching.
– Half Kneeling Cable Lifts (with a core bar) are now my new favorite “core” exercise
This exercise really emphasizes the obliques, as well as teaches you to stabilize the entire lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, which is something most trainees lack the ability to do efficiently.
– When I do return back to squatting, I need to make sure I emphasize high(er) reps (8-10 range) in order to promote regeneration of connective tissue. Oftentimes, trainees (myself included) tend to be impatient and want to go back to heavy lifting from the start. Big mistake.
– Just about every movement dysfunction can be attributed back to the hips. Coincidentally, I have atrocious internal rotation in my hips, which makes sense since I’ve been a pitcher for most of my life. Mike noted that my issue tends to be more muscular than capsular (which is FAR worse), so there’s hope for me. IE: DO YOUR FREAKIN STRETCHING GENTILCORE!!!!!!
5. Speaking of Mike, he and I were talking Saturday night while eating dead animal flesh, and we both have come to the conclusion that we’re done with one-on-one training. Seriously, unless your name happens to be Marisa Miller and you’re willing to do nothing but pull-throughs and romanian deadlifts for an entire session, topless, chances are I’m not going to train you one-on-one.
As a trainer, you’re behind the curve if you’re not utilizing semi-private training. Thomas Plummer has even gone so far to say that one-on-one training is dead. As someone who paid his dues working in various commercial gyms in the past, I can say I wholeheartedly agree. Semi-private training is more affordable than the classic private (one-on-one) training model that typifies the fitness industry. As such, clients can train with greater frequency at a fraction of the cost – and therefore make faster progress.
Additionally, semi-private training provides a more motivating atmosphere (for the client and trainer), and speaking from personal experience, my only regret is that I didn’t start doing it earlier.
6. I’ve become such a Blu-ray snob. I bought a Blu-ray player just before Christmas and all I have to say is that it’s pretty much the most awesome thing ever (behind Scarlett Johansson’s intelligence cleavage of course).
7. For those who are curious (and I know you all are), Project: Tony Gets Sexified has come to a close. I have to say that it was a blast, and I’m definitely going to give it another go round once the weather gets warmer. In other words, I’m totally training with my shirt off every chance I get. Get swole son!!11! Thanks goes out to Jen for putting together a stellar diet and for being an awesome coach. Also, I’d like to thank……..
– Diet Coke. You were my saving grace on my low calorie days.
– Ezekiel bread. My new favorite breakfast food.
– Airdyne bike intervals. You can go to hell.
– Tom Cruise. For being batshit crazy.
– My abs. Just cause
– Rosemary’s cobb salad.
– The two hot bartenders at The Tavern. One day I’ll actually say hi to one of you when I come and pick up my order on Saturday night. And, if you play your cards right, and may even make eye contact! I know, I know. It’s not easy having this much game.
*okay, three. Who am I kidding. I’ll never let go Jack. I’ll never let go!!!!!
Going to keep this one short and sweet today (although I should get some brownie points for posting two days in a row). Tomorrow I’ll be attending Mike Boyle’s 3rd Annual Strength and Conditioning Winter Seminar, which I am definitely looking forward to. I almost feel like a groupie since I’ve gone every year from the get go; accept I don’t dress like a slut and try to sleep with any of the presenters. Although I’d probably make an exception if Mike ever happened to get figure competitor/fitness model Jamie Eason to speak. Or, I don’t know, just stand in a corner somewhere
Anyways, it’s going to be an awesome seminar to say the least. Mike has a solid group of presenters lined up:
– Training and Rehabilitation Strategies for the Pelvis and Hip: John Pallof RPT
John’s kind of a big deal, you know, since he has an exercise named after him. The Pallof Press:
John’s presentation will focus on the training and rehabilitation of athletes with hip and groin injuries with particular emphasis on the sports hernia issue. I have the opportunity to work with John almost on a weekly basis when he comes to the facility to treat some of our athletes. Hands down, one of the brightest minds out there when it comes to manual therapy.
– Off-Season Baseball Training: From Assessment to Opening Day: Eric Cressey
Eric will demonstrate how to take a baseball player from the initial evaluation to the start of spring training.
I listen to Eric talk everyday, so I’ll probably skip this one. LOL. Just kidding. Seriously though, I hope there’s a snack bar available.
– Training Considerations for Basketball: Brijesh Patel
Basketball players are different than other athletes and these differences need to be reflected within their physical training. Learn what considerations need to be made for training basketball players as well as modes and progressions that can be implemented right away.
Always love listening to Brijesh speak because he just says it like it is. Check out his website here.
– Concussions and Sports: Chris Nowinski
Chris will give an in-depth overview of the sports concussion crisis. It will include his personal story about being forced to retire from World Wrestling Entertainment due to post-concussion syndrome and the information that inspired him to write Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis. He will cover the latest research coming out of Boston University’s new Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, including post-mortem examinations of athletes’ brains. Finally, he will provide practical information and tools to help professional in any line of work with concussed athletes serve their clients better.
This one should definitely be interesting. Which is to say, I wonder if he wrestled The Rock?
Which is to also say, what are the odds that Chris will suplex the shit out of me if I ask that question this weekend?
– Practical Strategies for Preventing Low Back Pains: Mike Robertson
In this presentation Mike will discuss: Typical causes of everyday low back pain; The role of the pelvis, surrounding musculature and force couples; Training Interventions (core training, flexibility/mobility, etc.); Behavior Modification
Mike’s a good friend of mine who is a superb speaker. He has a knack of taking complex material and dumbing it down in way that even my mother can understand. On an aside, I’m actually going to be heading out to his neck of the woods soon (Indianapolis) to check out his and Bill Hartman’s facility, and I can’t wait. Little known fact about Mike. Best. Wing-man. EVER!!11!1!!
– Training for Ice Hockey: Michael Boyle
Michael’s presentation will focus on the concepts that have made him a world leader in the training of ice hockey players, both male and female. The presentation will move from the basics for young players to training the NHL player.
Mike is by far the most quotable coach in the industry, and has been a great influence on me over the past few years. On one hand I am indebted to him for all of the ways he has helped me become a better coach. On the other, I basically hate his guts because he trained Jennifer Garner a few years ago and never got me an autograph. Jerk!
UPDATE: Mike just sent me en e-mail and asked if I’d be willing to do a presentation as well. Mine’s tentatively titled: Attending a Seminar on Valentine’s Day: Dude, You’re Sooooooooooo in the Dog House For the Next Week: An Analytical Look On Why You’re An Idiot.. I’m pretty sure this may be published on pubmed soon. Have an awesome weekend everybody!
2. Get my butt in gear and start writing articles again…………check (submitted one to t-nation just the other day).
3. Possibly plan a trip to Greece for later this year………check.
4. Destroy the back of my pants for realizing how expensive said trip will cost me………check.
Side Note: Greek women are hot.
Side Note # II: That’s a picture of Maria Menounos above (she’s greek).
Side Note # III: Ergo, Maria Menounos is hot.
Side Note # IV: We should date or something. Granted I make less than six figures a year (weird, I know), and she’d have to promise to buy me a Nintendo Wii. But I’d definitely consider it. Just throwing it out there.
Suffice it to say, I’m willing to bet that many of you have “followed the sheep,” and have already failed with your plans to lose those extra pounds this year. I get it. Stuff happens. Weekend birthday parties, Superbowl weekend, The Real Housewives of New York is on tonight, so on and so forth. It’s inevitable that the majority of us will make excuses as to why we never have time to train or eat healthy.
Fortunately, Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Roussell have gone bat shit crazy (or just realize that people are motivated by money) and are offering a special deal on Warp Speed Fat Loss till the end of the day Friday.
In a time where we’re constantly inundated with various internet weight loss scams involving colon cleansing powders and Acai Berry juice formulas, it’s growing harder and harder to be able to distinguish what’s legit and what’s crap. Well, Alwyn and Mike are putting their money where their mouth is, and from now till the end of the day on Friday, they’re offering a 120% money back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied with their product. However, you have to hurry since this offer is limited to the first 100 people. Click below to visit the site:
Granted, it’s been a while since I’ve taken microeconomics, but that sounds like a pretty sweet deal. I mean, the only way they could make it even sweeter is if they offered to make me a roast beef sandwich. Like every day. Or I don’t know, gave me the opportunity to test Maria’s GIRD (Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit).*
On an aside, I want to share with you an awesome blog post by Cressey Performance client Steph H-B. In light of the recent hoopla over Godzilla’s (sorry I couldn’t resist, I suck at life) Jessica Simpson’s pictures, Steph sheds some light on the topic of body image and women. Great stuff.
*20 degrees of OMGISTHATABELLYBUTTONRING!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I just don’t get it. Why is it that you rarely (if ever) see books geared towards fat loss advocating people to lift heavy things off the ground? I was at the bookstore Friday night, and out of habit, I was photo copying the Kama Sutra I was perusing books in the health/fitness section, and couldn’t help but shake my head in amazement at just how atrocious many of them are. It’s almost like there’s a set formula they all use:
1. The book cover consists of some man or woman that probably has never lifted a weight over 30 lbs in their life, standing there with their arms crossed in front of them, possibly wearing a suit, with some smug look on their face as if to say “I totally deserve to be punched in the kidney today.”
2. The first few chapters will have some diatribe on why it’s not the reader’s fault that they’re fat and out of shape. Cause you know, we wouldn’t want people to take responsibility for their own actions.
3. This will be followed by roughly 75-100 pages of recipes that will inevitably taste like sandpaper dipped in herpes.
4. Then they’ll provide some cookie-cutter “strength training” program consisting of exercises in the 15-20 rep range (if they include resistance training at all), along with copious amounts of cardio/aerobic training because clearly, this is the most advantageous way to lose fat (Note the HEAVY sarcasm.)
5. They go off to make millions of dollars; bathing themselves in gold plated bathtubs, and I hate myself because I’m not them. Dammit, I need to write a book!
I bring all of this up because the vast majority of these books, while having good intentions, tend to advocate exactly what not to do when trying “firm up” (I can’t believe I just wrote that) and shed fat. Specifically, the whole notion that one must focus on lifting with high(er) reps while dieting; to which I say………….Bull to the shiznit.
It’s no secret that I feel people should spend more time in the gym lifting heavy things. Even moreso in the context of dieting, where the main objective should be to preserve as much lean body mass (LBM) as possible.
Numerous studies have shown (J Am Coll Nutr. 1999 Apr;18(2):115-21, being the most well renowned) the advantages of including resistance training as part of a fat-loss program. Even in the study referenced above (when calories were kept to a staggering 800 kcals/day for twelve weeks), it was shown that those who included resistance training into their programming were able to preserve more LBM compared to those that just focused on diet + cardio.
Of course, I’m not implying that people should follow a 800 kcal/day diet. That would just be absurd and downright counterproductive. However, what I am trying to say is that you need to be lifting heavy shit when you’re dieting. Especially when you consider that most people tend to dip calories too low (for too long), and end up losing a lot of lean body mass in the process.
This is exactly what I’ve been doing the past five weeks during Project: Tony Gets Sexified. While my overall caloric intake has been low(er) than normal, I’ve been able to maintain my strength and preserve lean body mass by making sure that I get my heavy lifts in. Many trainees will try to increase their volume while dieting, thinking that by doing so, they’ll burn more calories. I’ve done the exact opposite, and just focused on maintaining my strength by making sure that I include some heavy lifts (1-5 rep range) on the days that I train.
This isn’t to say that I haven’t done any extra energy-system training (intervals) or cardio (brisk walking on the treadmill) during the past five weeks; I have. But I certainly haven’t overemphasized it like many people mistakenly do. Let the diet take care of the fat loss, not the training. Just repeat after me, “what makes muscle, KEEPS muscle.” Go lift heavy stuff, it will be good for you.
EDIT: I mean, just the other day I deadlifted 500 lbs for five sets of four repetitions and celebrated by ordering some food from The Tavern, and watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
That’s right. I’m not scared to admit that I watched a chick flick on a Saturday night, alone. Jesus, I’m surprised I also didn’t get in a tickle fight with myself, watched John Mayer videos on Youtube, or read a Jodi Picoult novel. Goddammit. I feel my sperm dying one by one as I type this. That’s it, I’m going to the strip club to eat some marinated dead animal flesh and get in a nunchuck fight with a bouncer.
1. Having interns obviously has its advantages. On one hand, I never get tired of telling them to go clean something. Excuse me for a second. *puts down salami sandwich* “Um, Intern Mike, my car isn’t going to miraculously clean itself now is it? Oh, and the oil needs to be changed.”
On the other hand, it’s always great to be able to talk shop and discuss stuff. More often than not, it ends up being a learning experience for me as well. Just the other day we got on the topic of corrective exercise, and how many trainers tend to approach it the wrong way.
As an example, it’s a safe bet that most (if not all) kinetic dysfunctions in the body can be attributed to crap going on in the hips. We’re a society that sits on our rumps all day, and as a result, our hips end up tighter than a camel’s ass in a sandstorm. As such, there’s been a lot of research based evidence that glute medius function (or lack thereof) has a direct correlation to anterior knee pain. True.
However, as Gray Cook and Brett Jones noted in their dvd Secrets of the Hips and Knees, you can’t isolate the hips into health. Their contention (to which I agree) is that we need to be more cognizant of improving movement patterns, and not just focus on activating muscles. Simply put, improve the movement pattern, and the muscle will be forced to “turn on” and function.
Unfortunately, many trainers will just have their clients do some x-band walks and call it a day.
This isn’t necessarily wrong, it’s just incomplete. Remember, you can’t isolate the hips into health. Sticking with the above example, the glute medius is going to have a different “function” depending on whether or not someone is in a symmetrical stance (think squat), a staggered stance (think lunge), or single leg stance (sprint, one-legged squat, etc). Hence, why it’s so important to train movement patterns, and not just focusing on isolating any one particular muscle when dealing with corrective exercise.
2. Learn to pick your battles. I used to like to argue with other trainers and try to prove them wrong. It’s dumb. Save your breath, trust me. Unless someone specifically asks for your opinion, just keep your mouth shut. We have two ears and one mouth, so use them in that order.
3. I made a new playlist on my iPod called “When Hip Hop Didn’t Suck,” which consists of nothing but songs from the 1990’s (Tribe Called Quest, Biggie, Mobb Deep, Nas, Naughty by Nature, etc). It’s pretty much the most awesome playlist ever made. And since I’ve been in a nostalgic mood as of late, I think I’ll make another playlist called: “Party of Five: Dammit Bailey. You’re Such An Idiot for Breaking Up With Sarah. Why why why???? You Two Were So Perfect For Each Other!!!11!111! Ahhhhhhhh.” (Cue In Your Eyes by Pete Gabriel)
4. Adding more weight to the bar in order to get depth on a squat isn’t necessarily a good thing.
5 It’s pretty much a given fact that it’s impossible for people to be objective about guesstimating what their body fat levels are . If you can’t see your abs, you’re NOT 10% body-fat. Quit trying to kid yourself, fatty.
6. Seriously, how hot is Krystal Forscutt. This hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! James will undoubtedly go down as one of the best interns ever for bringing her to my attention.
7. I received an e-mail the other day from someone who has been doing a 5×5 program for the past few months, and was curious as to what he should do afterwards? Outside of suggesting that he change up his main movements for the next few weeks (example: replace conventional deadlifts with trap bar deadlifts), I didn’t really have much to offer. I mean, he was happy with the program, lifts were going up, and he was having fun, so my rationale was “why fix what isn’t broken?”
I think people tend to suffer from program ADD anyways; constantly switching from one program to another, and as a result…….never really making much progress. One of the best pieces of advice I can suggest is to try to develop a training philosophy. If you like to lift heavy shit, then follow programs that make you lift heavy shit. If you want to look like an emaciated alien from the planet Vomit in my Mouth, then follow programs by Tracy Anderson. ZING!!!
Come up with a “philosophy,” and soon enough you’ll learn to design programs with a template in mind and you won’t have to worry about which program to follow.
8. I’m sitting here in the office watching THIS TRAILER for the new live action GI Joe movie coming out this summer. Needless to say, I’ve already started making my homemade Snake-Eyes costume to wear to the premiere, which will undoubtedly not get me laid for the foreseeable future. Gooooooooooooo Joe!!!
